The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-08-11
A. McGREGOR INrERVlEWED.
"Gath," Of the Enquirer, Has Talk with
the Democrats Editor.
He Gives Him Some Specimen Bricks OF
a DIssoIute and Avarioious Nobh-
Iy-Burns's Thrusts at the
Scottish Kirk.
Correspondence of the Enqulrer.)

SCOTLAND, July, 1881
Coming over on Luc steamship was
Archibald McGTegOr, who publishes the
Canton, Ohio, Democrattc newspaper
/ asked him how long since he had left
Scotland, and be said sixty years ego, OF
when he WAS eight years old. But be
still speaks the Scotch dialect, and was
one of a heVvy of Scotch students OF
BQrus who q ,oted aud compared passa-
Res from day TO day. Mr. McGregOr sa1d
the condition of the Scotch has been
getting bad and worse tor long tune.
Ia the early part of this century the
Duke Of Sutherland ordered Dis people
off the ground where they had lived un'
der DatTlarchal law, aud not under ten-
dal law, from immemOTlai tlme. IN
Scotland the chief of clan was only
one of the clan, and had no feudal power
over the others, except as their leader III
a fight. But this man was an Engllsh'
man. not a ScOtchmsn, and he came
back there and drove off the p 'Ople who
had, under as sound law as time could
make, been entitled to keep their COW
and pair of sheep on the general estate
Many of those people had no other re-
sort but to 90 to tue sea COSTS ana dig
caves, and there make q miserable llV
ing by fishing. The example OF Saith
erlsnd has been followed by other aVar-
icious landholders who want to sell
grounds to shooting men, and conse-
0uently the sim Dlest people i'll Scotland
are being driven to the cities. Hence
Scotland is showing radical maJorities
In all the large towns where these woes
are told.
SOME SCOTTISH DUKES.
"WhRt nobleman in Scotland Is the
best ixat?"
81 suppose the Duke of Buco!euch Is.
He mas property in ali parts of Scotland
and England, too. In my native town
Hamilton, live the Dukes Vt Hamilton
They are a worthless race, aid the
father Of the present Hamilton iell
down stairs In Paris and broke hls neck
Hs was a good deal of hanger on
around George Ill H S son some time
ago sold the Hamilton pictures which
were kept IN the palace, They orough'
him about 50 CO0OO0 Many of the no,
bility, in Scotland particularly, are dis
sOlute, and drink up whatever mas Deen
accumulated by former generations
'DO you thiDk that the Scottish klrR
Is as Influential as 1t formerly was?
mo; the Kirk has been divided since
1t ceased to have some external enenl1
to fight. Besides, the great concern Ct
men at the present day is not theology,
but existence. That great question of
life ia mixed up with everything, and
clergymen and Kinks are pOWerless be
fore it. Churches at the present day
have to consider questions of meat and
drink Ia order tO have enOught to 0c-
Cupy them."
BURNS ATT4 CKs ON THE CHURCH.
"Do you not consider that Robert
Burns had strong influence to belittle
the Presbyterian Kirk of Scotland
among the masses?"
"Yes, the very greatest Influence.
They have never recovered from the
blows ne gave them. Burns would have
led a better life hut Cor the dOgmatism
of his neighbOrs, For instance he
would probably have married his wife
on the first place had not her parents
considere9 him to be Robert Burns, the
scoffer, and they would not let him have
a certificate, preferring that their
daughter should have illegitimste off,
spriDg rather than such q husband, as
il any body ought to be ashamed OF
hODPIh DuEH5 UclbE III IuC ASth'Ays
think" said Mr.. McGregOr, that Burns
wife was the forward person In their
armour, and that she challenged him."
"DO you think that Burns would have
been more of man If he had Travelled
to London and other psrtsT'
mo; he is the Scotch poet, and II he
had learned to write English as well ss
he could write Scotch be would have
been an English poet, like Campbell and
Walter Scott, who never wrote line OF
pure Scotch. The Scotch was the spok
en- la a7guRge of our country, and Burns
seized 1t, 80 that his songs went to the
common heart everywhere, and
he preserved that dialect. At
tempts were made to get him
to write great drama on Bruce; but he
never seemed to ges down to work. ln
fact, the miserable off1ce they gave him
of exClseman, with salary OF hardy
$500 year, kept him 30 much at wOrK
overlooking stills aud saloons, that he
had but little TINA to devote to the
muse, Walter Scout YVES given eve y
facility to prosecute his labOrs, All
that Burns did came from his own am-
bition."
BOHEMIAN GENIUS.
While he was talking, Rev. Mr.. R. R,
Shippen came up, the only Unitarian
pastor In the city of Washington. He
said, as to Burns: 1T seems to me that
the Bohemian element is the cause Of
the production OF some Of the most phe'
nomenal works Of art l had occasion
recently to deliver an address on Schu-
bert. the German musician. He died at
thirty years Of age and lived his life
with other kindred spirits, producing
the most astonishing results as If by In.
spiration. Burns In the same way lived
through rude life with many tempta
tions, in order that he might not get
above the people who revere him, Wher-
ever there are Scotch the day Of Burns
is celebrated, and think have never
heard of tha celebration Of Sir Walter
Sc1tt's birthday"